Welcome to GVI's community, marine and environmental Conservation programmes blog where you can keep up to date with all the happenings and information from our work in Mexico.

GVI is a non-political, non-religious organisation, which through its alliance with over 150 project partners in over 30 countries, provides opportunities for volunteers to fill a critical void in the fields of environmental research, conservation, education and community development.

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Very soon we will be receiving our first volunteers to our new Playa del Carmen community projects! We are very excited and looking forward to working with you!!

These GVI new projects suppport Save the children toy libraries (ludotecas) which are free spaces where the children go to play in a safe environment but also learn about their rights, gender equality, how to avoid domestic violence and keep themselves safe, etc. It also supports the local Equine therapy center and integral attention local organization that provide different therapies (horse physical and music therapies) and education through a small school to children with different disabilities and in the major of cases whose parents can not afford private therapies.

While preparing these new programs we got to know the organizations needs and challenges more. We are certain that the help our volunteers will provide will be huge as the work they do is amazing and they need a lot of hands.

While waiting for the first volunteers to arrive the Playa del Carmen office staff has started volunteering in our free time as a way to give something back to the community where we live!

They are always very grateful as they always need hands and at the same time we have lots of fun!

Keep following this blog as we will be publishing more news on these projects soon!

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Minichallenge-Xplor bravest race!

A great challenge to start 2014! This is not a normal race here you will overcome your fears, have fun while fund raising for our local partners! Click in the picture to go to the fund raising page & to learn more about Xplor bravest race!

Help the planet! Help our cause!

This is an excellent opportunity for USA and Canadian citizens to recycle electronics and help our Charitable trust projects! Click in the banner to find out how!

GVI Mexico Fundraising challenges historical:

Half marathon Riviera maya! ne more time a team of staff, volunteers and local partners succesfully ran 5, 10 or 21 kilometres raising funds for this two amazing projects! Marine conservation including turtles and children development in Playa del Carmen

Minichallenge: Solidaridad race!

This summer staff and volunteers ran this minimarathon to fund raise for the community programs in Playa del Carmen & to continue building the recycling centre in Punta Allen. To see the impact of this effort & support by donation please click on the image

Mayathlon- a very alternative triathlon

This year a team of enthusiastic & brave volunteers and staff participated on a Mayan triathlon to continue raising funds for good causes!! Click in the image to learn more about it!

"This expedition is hard work and you really need to get stuck in to appreciate it fully but I have had the best time of my life here and it's been a real life changing experience. Pez Maya is a really special place and I feel it's that kind of effect on everyone here and I completely recommend it to anyone who isn't scared of hard work and wants to make a real difference and meet some great friend that'll end up feeling more like your family" Rhiannon Daniels, Pez Maya, April-June 2008

"I'm in Egypt now, in Hurghada.(...) This is my first diving again since Pez and Playa, last March 2007. It is great! (...)..The experience in Pez was just great, even though the coral species are different than in the Caribbean I recognize some genus like Acropora sp, Porites sp., Millepora sp., etc. One coral even looked very similar to Eusmilia fastigiana but unfortunately I couldn`t find it in any book to identify it...Even my buoyancy is still good so I can have a closer look to the corals upside down. Unfortunately, often there are many boats at the dive sights. And even though the dive guides always remind people not to throw the toilet paper into the boat toilet, sometimes you can see it float underwater :-( Today I have also seen some broken corals...I always try to remind people not to touch anything, unfortunately not all divers are as caring as we are..." Stef Furlain, Pez Maya, January-March 2007

"I began my ten week adventure as a mediocre diver with less than twenty dives in my log book and left with close to 100 logged dives, several new certifications, and a new appreciation for diving and what it offers. When my travels are concluded, I now have a new option for a job in the dive industry due to all the training provided. GVI provided me with the tools and training—along with the confidence—necessary to enter into a great new career. And I gained all these valuable skills, experiences, and made these contributions to the study of an important coral reef during a great and memorable vacation!" Cheryl MacDonald, Pez Maya, October-December 2007

"Hola...
what an amazing time I had and how miserable it is being back in London. I really hope I get the opportunity to come back out soon and do some more monitoring. One amazing thing I have got from the experience is that it has made me realise that this is something I really care about and want to continue to do in my future career and have decided to apply for a Masters in Aquatic Resource Managment. I would very much like you to realise how special the time I had there was and I doubt I would be making this decision if it wasn't for GVI" Cassie Leisk, Pta Gruesa Oct-Dec 2008

"I want to tell you again how much I enjoyed my three weeks in Pez Maya. I have to admit to being a bit taken aback when I first saw the facilities -- all that crumbling cement and a rickety ladder to my upper bunk appeared a bit daunting, not to mention the very long walk to the toilet if I had to get up in the middle of the night. However, in a few short days, I was comfortable and hardly noticed the peeling walls.I cannot say enough about the quality of the staff -- everyone was knowledgeable, helpful, patient, and willing to put in 110 percent to make everything work smoothly. I loved learning about the fish -- would liked to have taken that even further into learning more about their habits and habitat.So I just wanted to say thanks for a wonderful experience, Beth Dingman, Pez Maya January 2009

"We wanted to send you and the GVI team a huge thankyou for all you have done for our ollie and this incredible program. we are so impressed with the collection of activities, organization, training, 'giving-back', safety and fun of your marine conservation in mexico program. Ollie has loved his experiences and has learnt many invaluable life lessons.
He hopes to do another of your programs next year" Susannah Mckee and Allan Reid, Pta Gruesa Feb-March 2010

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Just in from the field...

Jaguar footprints on base!

For the last three days volunteers and staff in Pez Maya have found Jaguar footprints on base and on the beach! ...how cool is that!!!

Manateees!

This morning (31st July, 2012) volunteers and staff in Pez Maya saw 2 manatees swimming, while diving! This was a rare encounter as it is really strange to see them around! Specially to see two! Of course everybody is super excited!!

Lion fish hunt

Jim Scarborough, one of our staff members had caught three lion fishes in one dive and has disected them to cook and eat! Yummi!!

Baby deer in Punta Gruesa road

Just last week coming back from Punta Gruesa base to Mahahual town, two volunteers and two staff members saw a baby deer just by the road. First we thought it was a dog but when we approached it our eyes couldn't believe it was a baby deer that quickly made its way back to the forest!! In the sea we have gotten to sea many creatures but in the road is rather uncommon these type of sights!! So exciting!!!

Baby Crocodile in Punta Gruesa road

After spending 4 days in Punta Gruesa, Mahahual for the GVI staff training workshop, our 2 Field volunteer coordinators, Mo and Olly, together with Danny and Cynthia from Regional Office were heading out from Uvero Road when they saw from afar what seemed to be an iguana walking at the side of the road. To their surprise when they passed by it they realized that it wasn’t an Iguana, it was a baby crocodile hanging out on the road far away from its mum, we hope!

They managed to get near it and shot a few pictures of the baby crocodile just before it ran away and hid in the mangroves. They were very happy to see it went back to the mangroves safe away from cars. GVI Mexico staff continued on their way to Playa del Carmen with the eyes wide open in case any other wildlife crossed their path. Tucans, ospreys, snakes, chacha laca birdss, volunteers have all been sighted on the road to Punta Gruesa. Maybe next time they’ll see a jaguar!

Super Turtle Experience

EM have just returned from turtle camp at Xcacel, north of Tulum. After spending the afternoon snoozing in hammocks, our night time duties began with releasing turtle hatchlings into the sea!!!! What an incredible experience. Once we were sure that they had got away well on their long journey, we took a bumpy ride through narrow jungle tracks to another beach to patrol for nesting turtles until sunrise. To aid the conservation of loggerhead and green turtles that nest along the Quintana Roo coastline, we collected hundreds of eggs from these gentle giants to be taken away to safer nesting sites. We also tagged the mothers’ fins with a unique code that will help them to identified over the coming years when they return to nest. After several hours of amazing

Boa constrictor and iguana

Within their first few hours at Pez Maya, while on the health and safety tour of the base, being informed of potential wildlife dangers, including snakes, the new EMs were treated to a rare sight of a boa constrictor devouring a large iguana. The boa was so preoccupied with his meal, that he didn’t even mind posing for a few snap shots, though we are not so sure if the iguana was happy about it!It was a great sight to see and a good example of how wildlife adapts to live around humans and humans around the wildlife.

The Mighty Chac mol (Jaguar in Mayan)

Whilst on a boat trip looking at birds, TNC Regional Directors, Cesar Barrios from Amigos de Sian Ka'an and GVI Mexico's Country Director Danny, where incredibly fortunate to stumble upon a mighty Jaguar (Pantera onca) The Jaguar, hidden in a little mangrove island, peacefully observed the visitors; the visitors, thrilled and amazed at the beauty of the Jaguar, could not contain their emotions and appreciation. The visitors left after 10 minutes of observation - what a sight!